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Most Recent: News
As expected, Sony files new trademark application for The Last Guardian
Sony refuses to give up on The Last Guardian. An “administrative error” forced the publisher to abandon the game’s trademark last month, but the US Patent and Trademark Office has confirmed that a new application for The Last Guardian was filed earlier this week.
Like the last time it happened, these trademark shenanigans don’t mean much for the future of The Last Guardian. The development difficulties experienced by Team Ico have been well documented and rumors of a PS3-to-PS4 conversion have been making the rounds for almost two years. So the status of the game’s trademark application is the least of Sony’s worries at this point.
All this news really tells us is that Sony wants to retain their trademark on The Last Guardian. At the very least, that’s a good sign for the game’s future as it indicates that Sony doesn’t want anyone else to make a claim on the name. But until Sony makes an official announcement about the game’s future, this is just another non-story in the eight-years-in-the-making saga that has been the development of The Last Guardian.
Posted in News, PS3, PS4
Tagged The Last Guardian
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions will double in size with free “Evolved” expansion
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is already the biggest Geometry Wars game by far, but it’s about to get a whole lot bigger. Sierra and Lucid Games have announced the game will receive a free expansion on March 31 that’ll add 40 Adventure Mode stages, a 20-stage Hardcore Mode that eliminates Drones and Supers, and an expanded Classic Mode. A new Drone (Sweeper), a new Super (Detonator), and improvements to the level progression system in Adventure Mode will also be added to the game.
The Evolved expansion will nearly double the amount of content currently available in Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions when it is released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One players.
Appropriately enough, the update will expand the game’s title to Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved after March 31 as new players will be able to purchase the expansion and the original game as a single download. Its $14.99 pricetag will remain the same.
Nintendo confirms development of the NX “dedicated game system”
Nintendo has had a very busy morning. As a coda to the announcement that they’ve partnered with DeNA to produce mobile games based on Nintendo characters, the company also confirmed it is not leaving consoles and handhelds in the past by announcing the “NX,” their next “dedicated game system.”
Details about the NX are currently pretty sparse. At this point, we don’t even know if it’ll be a handheld system, a home console, or some hybrid of the two. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata confirmed the NX’s existence during a press conference this morning (which is archived on Nintendo’s Investor Relations page) and said that Nintendo will talk more about the system, which uses a “brand-new concept,” next year:
As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename “NX.” It is too early to elaborate on the details of this project, but we hope to share more information with you next year.
The NX will also be built to take advantage of the new online membership service that DeNA will produce for Nintendo:
Nintendo, together with DeNA, will jointly develop a new membership service which encompasses the existing Nintendo 3DS and Wii U systems, the new hardware system with a brand-new concept, NX, and smart devices and PCs, and Nintendo will be the primary party to operate this new membership service. Unlike the Club Nintendo membership service that Nintendo has been operating, the new membership service will include multiple devices and create a connection between Nintendo and each individual consumer regardless of the device the consumer uses. This membership will form one of the core elements of the new Nintendo platform that I just mentioned.
If you ignore the Virtual Boy (and everybody does), the NX would be Nintendo’s tenth platform, making its codename rather appropriate. Personally, I hope they keep it, it has a nice ring to it.
Nintendo partners with DeNA to produce mobile games and unified network
Nintendo and mobile devices have had a shaky relationship for years now. Investment analysts called out the company for ignoring the market (and thus, forgoing the giant piles of money they’d surely make from mobile games), while Nintendo executives reiterated that the time wasn’t right for a mobile move. I guess today’s the day as Nintendo has announced a partnership with Japanese developer DeNA to produce original mobile games based on existing Nintendo characters.
The word “original” is key here as DeNA and Nintendo will definitely not be producing mobile ports of existing 3DS and Wii U games. All Nintendo-branded mobile games will be built from the ground up exclusively for mobile devices and no characters will be off-limits. That means franchises as varied as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, Mario Kart, or even Pikmin could soon appear on your iPhone or Android device. Who knows, something as niche as Earthbound could even be on its way to an app store near you.
Leveraging the strength of Nintendo’s intellectual property (IP) and game development skills in combination with DeNA’s world-class expertise in mobile games, both companies will develop and operate new game apps based on Nintendo’s IP, including its iconic game characters, for smart devices. The alliance is intended to complement Nintendo’s dedicated video game systems business and extend Nintendo’s reach into the vast market of smart device users worldwide.
To support this move into the mobile market, Nintendo and DeNA will also collaborate on a unified online membership service that will accessible from mobile devices, PCs, the 3DS, and the Wii U. It’s unknown if this service will replace the existing Nintendo Network as details are currently scarce, but we know it will launch in Fall 2015.
Nintendo and DeNA will announce the first titles for their mobile initiative soon.
EA Sports confirms Rory McIlroy PGA Tour will tee off in June
After nearly a year without a title, EA Sports has announced that this year’s PGA Tour game will officially be known as Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. The game, which will star the top-ranked golfer in the world right now, will tee off for the PS4 and Xbox One in June.
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour is being developed by EA Tiburon and will be the first EA Sports game to use the Frostbite engine popularized by the Battlefield franchise:
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour truly delivers “Golf Without Limits,” opening up the experience like never before. Gorgeous real-world courses and epic fantasy tracks provide players with not only the most realistic representations of their favorite locales, but the opportunity to explore brand-new locations. Full course loading offers limitless options when attacking the green and zero wait times when moving from one hole to the next. Experience the next generation of golf and play where you want, when you want, how you want.
According to EA, the use of Frostbite will also enable Rory McIlroy PGA Tour to process the entire course at once, eliminating load times between holes. Take that, Tiger Woods!
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Rory McIlroy PGA Tour
First Lego Jurassic World gameplay trailer turns the raptors into cuddly pranksters
Perhaps to get us ready for a motorcycle-riding Chris Pratt leading a pack of friendly raptors into battle, WB Games has released the first gameplay trailer for Lego Jurassic World… which comes complete with cuddly raptors. But we also get dialogue and audio clips pulled directly from the films as well as plenty of exciting Lego action. But for some reason, I don’t think the kid-friendly Lego games will include Lego Jeff Goldblum telling us all just how big that pile of **** is. Feel free to prove me wrong, WB Games!
Lego Jurassic World will be released for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One this June.
Life Is Strange Episode 2: Out of Time will be available next week
As part of this weekend’s EGX Rezzed expo, Dontnod Entertainment announced the release date for “Out of Time,” the second episode of Life Is Strange. The further adventures of time-bending Max and blue-haired Chloe will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on March 24:
As announced at @EGX #Rezzed, Life is Strange Episode 2 will be released March 24 on all platforms. pic.twitter.com/fJcoLn8U1J
— Life Is Strange (@LifeIsStrange) March 14, 2015
Couldn’t make it to EGX? You can watch Dontnod’s full presentation at the EGX YouTube Channel. But the spoiler-averse should be warned, the video does contain a few scenes from “Out of Time.”
Weekly Warp-Up: Mortal Kombat X Is Koming Edition
No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…
Mortal Kombat X is less than a month away, but it feels like its koming a lot sooner than that as NetherRealm revealed a ton of new details about the game during this past week. First, we got confirmation that Johnny Cage and Sonya will join the game as playable characters. Then came word that the first guest character will be Jason Voorhees. Jason’s machete also cut through the red tape to leak out a pair of additional character confirmations (Kenshi and Shinnok) and a delay in the PS3/Xbox 360 version of the game. Finally, a new episode of “Kombat Kast” gave us our first extended look at the game’s Story Mode.
Another famous fighting franchise got a boost in the minds of gamers as part of last weekend’s PAX East expo. Capcom teased that Street Fighter V will be released in Spring 2016, though that date is currently unofficial. Other PAX East revelations include a release date for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel‘s last expansion, a debut trailer for Killer Instinct‘s ghost girl, a Wii U release for Freedom Planet, a new trailer for Gigantic, and our first look at CliffyB’s Project BlueStreak.
Finally this week, UK Correspondent Andrew Rainnie has completed his dream casting of the proposed Legend of Zelda show on Netflix. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show as he lists off his choices for Ganondorf and Zelda.
More news from the last seven days can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News